My father built two of our houses while we were growing up. I also know a young couple who built their own house and another couple who handled the contracting out of the construction.
My father only did it twice and the two couples only did it once. My father loves woodworking, but I think the hassles of building a house were too much.
I think a good comparison would be knowing nothing about computers, and deciding to just go out and buy the parts and put it together and install the operating system yourself. Sure, it’s possible, but because you’ve never done it, you don’t know all of the pitfalls ahead of time. Also, you’re probably not going to put out a prime piece of work. Of course, computers don’t require permits, inspections, flaky contractors, or the dreaded drywall guys.
You don’t say what your background is, but if you have a good construction background or woodworking background, you should have the skills to put out a good piece of work, but you also have to have the skills to negotiate with contractors (who will do the plumbing, electrical, cement, and possibly other parts) and the skills to deal with the city or county paperwork and inspectors. I don’t know the specifics, but there are also restrictions on purchasing land for construction and time limits for completing construction.
